Background

The SECAT Program was originally created by California Assembly Bill 2511 to help assure that the Sacramento region meet its commitments under the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for air quality attainment. The goal of the SECAT Program is to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions in our air from heavy-duty vehicles to meet the 2019 federal 8-hour ozone standard.

In 2000, the SECAT Program received $70 million to reduce emissions released from heavy-duty vehicles in the Sacramento Federal Nonattainment Area (SFNA) by providing incentives to offset the costs of purchasing lower-emission technologies. The SECAT Program received additional funding from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program in 2007. The SECAT Program anticipates receiving CMAQ funding periodically through 2018.

SECAT helps by funding upgrades and exchanges for a range of heavy-duty vehicles, including:

Refuse trucks

Delivery vehicles

Cement trucks

Freight-haulers

Practically any vehicle over 14,000 lbs.

Transit and school buses are also eligible for the program

Why Do We Need It?

Our region has to meet a 2019 federal deadline to clean up our air, which is the 7th worst in the nation. The SECAT Program targets mobile sources because they account for more than 70 percent of the air quality crisis.

The highest levels of pollution occur in the summer when direct sunlight and strong inversion layers trap pollutants close to the ground. Ground-level ozone pollution is formed when NOx (nitrogen oxides) and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) react with the ultraviolet rays from the sun. NOx is produced primarily by combustion engines, including heavy-duty trucks, cars, power plants, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, and even lawn mowers.